SM Entertainment said Taetiseo will release their new mini-album "Twinkle" on May 2.

It added that the subunit will have a very different musical and fashion style from the nine-member SNSD, one of the most popular girl groups in Korea.

Introducing subunits for highly popular music groups is a common practice in both Korea and Japan.

Groups like Korean boy band Super Junior and massive Japanese girl group AKB48 have undergone some form of 'cell division' at one point or another, resulting in subunits such as Super Junior-M and Super Junior-T, as well as DiVA, which is made up of ten AKB48 members.

It is a move that carries many benefits.

The subunit does not require much promotion as the members are already well-known and can bank on the popularity of the music group they belong to.

Introducing a subunit also allows group members to try out different brand concepts without affecting the branding of the main group.

Most importantly, subunits mean a new source of revenue for the music group's management company, as fans of the individual members involved in the subunit's activities will most likely buy the subunit's music and merchandise in addition to that of the main group.